“Maya, please,” Daniel whispered again, his eyes glossy. “Just tell Mr. Han to draft the authorization. Just five million. That’s all we need to clear the immediate default.”

He looked at me as if he expected me to melt, as if the three years of quiet compliance I had given him would suddenly return.

He thought the woman who had washed his shirts and tolerated his mother’s insults was still inside me, waiting to protect him.

I looked past him to Mr. Han.

“Mr. Han,” I said.

“Yes, Madam,” the general manager replied immediately.

Daniel’s eyes lit up with a sudden, frantic hope.

“Is the auditor’s paperwork in order?” I asked.

The hope died in Daniel’s eyes instantly.

“Yes, Madam,” Mr. Han said, his voice smooth and clear. “The warrants were verified by our legal department ten minutes ago. The assets registered under the Mercer holding company within the resort’s jurisdiction are being frozen as we speak.”

“No,” Daniel gasped. “Maya, stop this. You can’t let them do this.”

“I am not letting them do anything, Daniel,” I said, my voice as calm as the dark water outside the ballroom windows. “The law is doing it. You signed the guarantees.”